Food Safety Supplier Quality Specialist

The Food Safety Supplier Quality Specialist ensures that all suppliers, co-manufacturers, and ingredients meet rigorous food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements. This role maintains current supplier and co-manufacturing documentation, leads supplier onboarding and new ingredient qualification, and manages customer compliance requests. The position partners closely with Procurement, R&D, and operations teams to support safe, compliant, and audit-ready food manufacturing in a GFSI-certified environment.

• Maintain current and accurate supplier and co-manufacturing files, including the approved supplier list, qualification records, and all relevant certifications such as FSMA, SQF, Kosher, and Organic.
• Lead supplier onboarding by qualifying new suppliers and ingredients before first use, in close collaboration with Procurement and R&D teams.
• Conduct new ingredient reviews to ensure compliance with internal specifications, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
• Evaluate Certificates of Analysis (COAs), product specifications, and ingredient and allergen documentation to verify alignment with FDA and FSMA requirements.
• Manage and respond to customer compliance requests, including completion of questionnaires, updates to customer portals, and follow-up actions from audits.
• Support food safety and quality audits, including SQF and other GFSI-related audits, by maintaining audit-ready documentation and participating in audit activities as needed.
• Review and verify labels and documentation to ensure accuracy and compliance with applicable regulations and internal standards.
• Monitor and document non-conformances related to suppliers, ingredients, and finished products, and support corrective and preventive actions.
• Apply knowledge of HACCP and preventive controls to supplier and ingredient programs, ensuring hazards are identified and controlled.
• Maintain accurate, organized, and audit-ready records for all supplier, ingredient, and food safety documentation.
• Collaborate effectively with leadership and frontline teams to communicate requirements, resolve issues, and support continuous improvement in food safety and quality.
• Work regularly with a broad supplier base using Trace Gains or similar systems to manage documentation, specifications, and ongoing supplier compliance.

• Minimum of 2+ years of experience in food safety, quality assurance, or FSQA within a food manufacturing environment.
• Food science or related technical degree, with hands-on experience in GFSI-certified manufacturing environments.
• Working knowledge of SQF, FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, and food safety documentation requirements.
• Proven ability to evaluate COAs, product specifications, and ingredient/allergen documentation against FDA and FSMA requirements.
• Experience working with retailer technical compliance systems and translating regulatory requirements into practical documentation.
• Knowledge of HACCP principles and preventive controls.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to maintain accurate, audit-ready records.
• Experience with food safety and quality assurance activities such as food audits, GMP verification, and documentation control.
• Ability to manage supplier onboarding, new ingredient review, and customer compliance requests effectively.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple teams.

• HACCP certification.
• PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) or SQF Practitioner experience is a plus.
• Prior experience supporting SQF audits or working in GFSI-certified food manufacturing sites.
• Experience stepping into temporary, interim, or project-based FSQA roles.
• Familiarity with systems used for supplier management and documentation, such as Trace Gains.
• Experience with managing documentation related to allergens, Kosher, Organic, and other certification programs.
• Ability to interpret and apply regulatory and customer requirements in a practical, operations-focused manner.
• Strong collaboration skills with both leadership and frontline teams to support a culture of food safety and quality.

Work Environment This role primarily operates from an office setting within a food manufacturing organization, with regular interaction with production, quality, and cross-functional teams. The position will primarily be based in the Plymouth location and will visit the Elk River plant approximately…